The Downside to Knowledge
I met with a friend recently who was suffering from a crushed spirit. The reason? He was alone. There were few people in his life who were willing to help carry his particular heartfelt burden. My soul ached for him. When we got together to discuss his dilemma, my plan was to offer what I had: compassion and hope. To my disappointment however, he wasn’t interested in either. Instead, he commenced in telling me how his knowledge of the facts around his quandary should be enough to get him through.
Relying on knowledge was his ruin.
I, too, strive for knowledge. I continually weigh knowledge of one subject against another. But I learned years ago never to put all my eggs in the Seeker of Facts basket. There is more than knowledge to strive for—there is also the gift of relationships.
Relationships is the genesis of life. Power. Empathy. Compassion.
Everything revolves around relationships, yet we tend to take them for granted. Had my friend allowed people to enrich his life instead of relying on facts, his situation would be different now. His heart would be lighter and his world would be fuller. More balanced.
Apostle Paul’s words hit me hard as I left my friend. In Philippians 3:8-10, Paul wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.“
It’s not knowing about Christ that’s the key, it’s about KNOWING Christ!
Oh, please, listen to others. Reach out to them. Invest in their lives and allow them to be a part of yours.
6 Comments
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I agree knowledge is power but none of us have all the knowledge. We can learm so much from other folk’s insight and experiences when we are open to listening and sharing. But you are so right in about trusting the One and Only who can be truly trusted. Thanks for your great message!
Thanks for the comment, Tammy. Blessings to you!
Hugs, Robin
Thanks, Del for taking the time to comment. Knowledge is power, but arrogance is a noose.
Blessings,
Robin
Nice pointing out that we all need to know Christ.
Thanks for the post.
Del
Ah, Robin, I wonder if you would see me in this way also. I don’t see myself as relying on my knowledge, although I’ve amassed a lot of knowledge about the problem I faced. And I don’t just know about Christ–I really know Him! That’s what got me through. He is my salvation, in every way. The state of things that my own situation left me in was to fear reaching out to invest in others, because the one dearest to me on this earth had demanded all of my time and attention, all the while egregiously betraying me. It took me a long time and a heart-wrenching coming out of denial about who he really is. This opened the door to devastating lies of the enemy. Some I fought off with my full armor but to others I succumbed. I am still fighting my way out of the remnants of those lies after the marriage ended. So here’s the reason for my post: woman to woman, within the body of Christ, if you see someone like me who smiles but doesn’t offer too much, or even seems to pull back. be patient. Take her to the Lord and see if He will guide you to continue reaching out. You don’t know how much good you could do, and it might surprise you how much a person like that will give back to you once you earn her trust.
Hi Maryleemorgan –
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Knowledge is a wonderful thing. there’s power in it. But if a person isn’t careful, knowledge can wrap itself in pride and arrogance. That’s where my friend found himself. He had traded his relationship with Christ for more and more knowledge of scriptures. He had probably forgotten more than I will ever learn, and he liked it that way. He had no idea that he had built a house of cards. When he needed others, nobody was there.
Dear one, I intend to stay close to this friend. I have hope that his knowledge will pierce his heart one day. Thank you for reaching out.
Robin